MIAC Release

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Nine Saint John's University track and field student-athletes earned a total of 13 Winter and Spring Academic All-MIAC honors for the 2015-16 academic year on Tuesday, June 21.

Those honored (listed alphabetically) include:

-Junior Lukas Buehler (Omaha, Neb./Mount Michael Benedictine), a Hispanic studies and nutrition double-major with a 3.79 GPA;
-Sophomore Matthew Burgstahler (Sandpoint, Idaho), an integrative health science major with a 4.0 GPA;
-Senior Thomas Feichtinger (Omaha, Neb./Mount Michael Benedictine), an English major (pre-veterinary emphasis) with a 3.58 GPA; 
-Senior Andrew Hansen (Eden Prairie, Minn.), a social science (secondary education) major with a 3.68 GPA;
-Junior Maxwell Olson (Warrensburg, Mo.), a chemistry major (pre-medicine emphasis) with a 3.62 GPA;
-Sophomore Mitchell Peck (Alexandria, Minn.); a physics major (pre-engineering emphasis) with a 3.67 GPA;
-Junior Peyton Thiry (Lester Prairie, Minn./Lester Prairie-Holy Trinity), a biology major (pre-physical therapy emphasis) with a 3.50 GPA;
-Junior Will Zimmerman (Owatonna, Minn.), a history major with a 3.74 GPA;
-Senior Nick Zurn (Belle Plaine, Minn.), a biology major (pre-medicine emphasis) with a 3.72 GPA.

Student-athletes must be a sophomore, junior or senior with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 on a 4.00 scale to qualify for Academic All-MIAC recognition. To be eligible athletically, student-athletes in track and field must score in an individual event (top eight) or compete on a relay team at the MIAC Championships.

For the second time in the last three years, SJU led the conference with 63 male Academic All-MIAC honorees in 2015-16, six ahead of second-place St. Thomas (57). The Johnnies finished second in 2014-15, one honoree behind UST, and led the league with 57 in 2013-14.

Feichtinger claimed third in the mile and was a member of two relays, the conference-champion distance medley and fifth-place 4x400-meter, at the MIAC Indoor Championships in March. He placed fourth in the 1,500 meters and was a member of another championship relay team, the 4x800-meter, in May. Feichtinger ended the track season with his third appearance at the national meet and finished 16th in the 1,500 meters.

Feichtinger ended his collegiate career as a nine-time Academic All-MIAC honoree (three each in cross country, indoor and outdoor track), an eight-time MIAC champion (four in the 800 meters, three in the 4x800-meter relay and one in the distance medley relay) and 14-time All-MIAC honoree: two in cross country, six in indoor track and six in outdoor track.

Peck claimed fifth in the 55-meter hurdles and was a member of SJU's 4x400-meter relay at the indoor meet. Outdoors, Peck won the MIAC title in the 400-meter hurdles and took sixth in the 110-meter variety.

A four-time Academic All-MIAC honoree, Olson answered a seventh-place finish indoors in the pole vault with a second-place finish in the event outdoors.

An All-American on the football field last fall, Thiry placed fifth in the weight throw indoors and earned All-MIAC distinction with a third-place finish outdoors in the hammer throw.

A five-time Academic All-MIAC honoree (three in track and two in cross country), Buehler earned the 2016 distinction indoors as a member of the MIAC-champion distance medley relay team.

Burgstahler earned his first Academic All-MIAC honor as a member of the SJU cross country team last fall and picked up his second by placing seventh outdoors in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

A five-time Academic All-MIAC honoree (three in track, two in cross country), Hansen finished fourth outdoors in the 10,000 meters, two seconds behind junior Maxwell Kuzara (Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka) for All-MIAC honors.

Now a three-time Academic All-MIAC honoree, Zimmerman was a member of SJU's MIAC-championship 4x800-meter relay team, and with Zurn, the sixth-place 4x400-meter relay squad.

SJU finished third out of 11 teams at the MIAC Indoor Championships, which was the program's best placement since it claimed second in 2007 and 2008, and the 10 All-MIAC honors (top three individually, champion relay) were the most since 2007 (10). 

The Johnnies then won three events and finished second out of 11 teams at the MIAC Outdoor Championships held in May at Clemens Stadium. The top-two finish outdoors was the Johnnies' 10th in the last 14 years and the 18 All-MIAC honors were the most since 2005 (19). First-year head coach Jeremy Karger-Gatzow was named the MIAC Men's Outdoor Coach of the Year.

Junior Ryan Bugler (Okinawa, Japan/Kubasaki) capped the Johnnies' track and field season by winning the NCAA Division III championship in the steeplechase May 28 at Wartburg (Iowa). The title was SJU's fifth individual national championship in outdoor track and field and first since Darwin Dumonceaux '99 in 1999 (shot put).